Piano attachment



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK S. \VARREN, OF CONCORD, NEIV HAMPSHIRE.

PIANO ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,156, dated December23, 1890.

- Application filed September 16, 1890. $erial No. 365,127. (No model.)

T 60 whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK S. \VARREN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Concord, in the county of Merrimac and State of NewHampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in PianoAttachments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tone-mufflers for pianos, the object of theinvention being to provide mechanism whereby the sound may be deadenedwithout interference with either the soft or loud pedal, both of whichmay be used with good effect in connection with a tone-muffler by aid ofmy improvements.

The invention will be fully set forth in the following specification andclaims, and clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming apart thereof, of which- Figure 1 represents a cross-section of the bar,carrying an apron of felt or similar material forming the muffler, andone of the end supports or brackets with its operating-cam in elevation.Fig. 2 is a view of the same parts shown in the previous figure inanother position. Fig. 3 represents a front elevation of the mechanismshown in previous figures.

Similar reference letters indicate corresponding parts.

An ordinary muffler-apron A is attached to the bar 13, and thelatter ismounted at either end upon a swiveled bracket 0, which may be pivoted bymeans of a screw D to the end frame Y of a piano.

My improved mechanism for, rocking the bar B, carrying the apron A, isapplied to but one of the brackets O, and is intended to be operated bya pedal in either direction and independent of the soft and loud pedalsof a piano, in the following manner:

Upon the lower part of the bracket 0 are provided projections c 0,extending from its face, one at either side of its fulcrum-screw D.Between these projections c c is placed an operating-cam E, havingshoulders e e,

. located at opposite sides for engaging the lower edge of eitherprojection cof the bracket at, each upward stroke of said cam, andupward and outward inclined portions 6, for engaging the upper curvedside of either projection c of the said bracket at each downstroke ofsaid cam. The lower end of said cam E is pivoted at f to the upper endof a vertical rod F, moving in a socket provided for this purpose in theend frame Y, which may be raised by a suit-able pedal attachment anddropped by gravity. Thus the said cam may rock forward or backwardsufficiently to conform to its requirements to engage first one and thenthe other of the projections c of the bracket 0.

The line X represents a string in its position relative to my improvedattachment. I11 Fig. 1 the barB and bracket Care shown in position tohold the muffler A away from the strings; butby raisingthe rod Fand camE that shoulder e which is directly under the lowest projection c of thebracket C will by contact with the same throw the said bracket to theposition seen in Fig. 2, which places the said muffler A in contact withthe strings X, and lowers it sufficiently to receive the blow of thehammers while the keys of the instrument are in use, and in falling backto its normal position that inclined portion 6 which is upon the sameside as the shoulder c, used in throwing the muffler into contact withthe strings by sliding down upon the projection 0 upon the same side ofthe bracket O, is thrown over ready to form contact with the otherprojection o, and by another upward motion to again place the muffler inthe position seen in Fig. 1, and so on. At each upward movement of therod F the muffier is alternately moved on or off the strings.

In order that the cam may not become displaced, a suitable cap-piece Gis placed over the cam and lower part of the bracket, as seen in dottedlines, Figs. 1 and 2, and full lines in Fig. 3, provided with perforatedbearings at each corner, through which fasteningscrews H may be passedinto the end frame Y, the upper bearings 9 serving as stops for limitingthe movement of the bracket.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. In atone-muffler, the combination of a swiveled bracket provided withprojections c c and a suitable cam provided with shoulders for engagingthe under side of said projections and inclined surfaces for engagingthe by the muii'ler may be applied by a single 10 upper or curved sideof said projections, all movement of said cam, and vice versa.substantially for the purpose set forth. I11testimonywhereofl affixmysig'nature in 2. In a tone-muffler, swiveled brackets suppresence oftwo Witnesses. 5 porting the rod carrying the muffler, one of '1' w T 17' said brackets being provided with projec- FRAAIX ARREX tions, asshown, and a reciprocating cam hav- \Vitnesses:

ing shoulders and inclined portions for en- J B. THURSTON, gaging saidprojections on the bracket, Where- DANIEL B. DONOVAN.

